Say It For Me
by littlefiction
Summary: Sesshoumaru looks back on his childhood songfic, oneshot rated for mild violence


Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or related titles, Rumiko Takahashi does (and I wouldn't have it any other way). "Savin Me" is a Nickelback song. I do not own that either.

My first songfic, have mercy.

Glossary (I keep forgetting to include these)

Inu- dog

Inu no taisho- Sesshoumaru's father's title, in English version the Dog General, though that might not necessarily translate.

Kemari- ball game mentioned in the third movie. (I got the spelling off the subtitles)

Miko- shrine maiden (Kagome, Kikyou, etc)

Sensei- teacher, master of a trade.

Say It For Me 

_Prison gates won't open up for me  
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'  
Oh, I reach for you  
Well I'm terrified of these four walls  
These iron bars can't hold my soul in  
All I need is you  
Come please I'm callin'  
And oh I scream for you  
Hurry I'm fallin'_

Master Sesshoumaru leaped to his feet and rushed to the door, sliding it open with more force than was necessary.

"Father!" His father, the great Inu no taisho, was walking down the hall, surrounded by lower ranking officers, all of whom had a great deal to say and none of whom seemed to remember the rule about taking turns. He, like his subordinates, was armed for an upcoming, current, or recently ended battle (Sesshoumaru was never sure which). "Father!"

The great dog general turned his gaze to his son as he turned a corner, and gave him a small wave. The small prince waved back eagerly though his father never saw it. Just as he gave up his useless waving he sensed danger, and sprung away, landing in an almost perfect defensive crouch. "Sesshoumaru." Came his sensei's ominous voice.

"S-sensei." The pup whimpered.

"What just happened?"

"I heard father."

"And?" His sensei's eyes narrowed.

"I-I just wanted to say hello."

"I did not ask you what you wanted. I asked what happened."

"I… I left my lessons without your permission. I am sorry, sensei, that was out of- ah!" Sesshoumaru narrowly dodged the old hound's fist as it came crashing towards him, easily tearing the thin paper of the sliding door that had been behind him.

"Tell me, young master, does saying sorry change the past?" Sesshoumaru dodged blow after blow, and was quickly tiring. He was only a pup, he would seem no older than six years of age to a human, and he had studied all morning and trained all afternoon. "Sesshoumaru!"

"It does not, Sensei." Sesshoumaru said with a bow, and just narrowly avoided his sensei's deadly claws.

The incident passed as it always had, the old warrior never relenting until the pup fell to the ground unconscious or nursing severe wounds. This particular night he had fallen unconscious from over exertion. Sesshoumaru felt himself lifted into large, warm arms and could smell a vaguely familiar scent that seemed to comfort him.

Suddenly, the arms were gone, and he was in his bed. His eyes darted open, and he searched foggily for the face that matched that sent. His eyes focused and there he was.

"Father!"

"Go to sleep, you've worked hard, and you need your rest."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Don't lie, pup, you fell asleep in the dojo." It took all of Sesshoumaru's self control not to point out that he had, in fact, not fallen asleep, but been knocked unconscious by his so called teacher.

"But-"

"No. It's late."

Sesshoumaru tried to keep the silent pleading he felt out of his eyes, because it had always annoyed his sensei, and he didn't want to annoy his father. Unfortunately for him, he was never very good at hiding these things.

"Alright, what is it?"

"I want to play with you."

"You can barely keep your eyes open."

"Tomorrow?"

"I can't, we're-"

"Another battle?" Sesshoumaru said, turning his back to his father and wrapping his fur more closely around him.

"Hey…" the older inu grabbed his son's shoulder and rolled him back to him, gently forcing him to face him. "What's this all about?"

Sesshoumaru shut his eyes and shook his head roughly, as though trying to shake his desires out of his head. He wasn't going to bother his father to his insignificant wants.

"Sesshoumaru…"

"I want to play kemari." Sesshoumaru hadn't meant to say it, it just sort of happened. His father shrugged.

"Go ahead, as long as you don't let it get in the way of your education."

"I don't know how."

"There are plenty of pups-" His father began.

"I want to play with you." so much for not bothering him with it.

"Ok, I'll teach you someday."

"When?" Sesshoumaru asked, feeling hopeful for the first time in years.

"When this war is over."

"Thank you father. I think I will go to sleep now. Goodnight." With that he slipped under the covers completely and buried his face in his own fur. He felt the blanket lifted off his head, but didn't dare look up from his fur, afraid his father might see how hard he was struggling not to cry.

"What?"

"Goodnight, father."

"Sesshoumaru, I can't teach you before the war ends. I'm sorry, there isn't time."

"It isn't that."

"What is it then?"

"It's nothing." Sesshoumaru curled up more tightly, burying his face even further in his fur.

"Sesshoumaru."

"It's just that… Well, every time one war ends another one starts up. So there will never be time for you to play with me."

"Sesshoumaru, I tell you what. You master a new technique, and I'll make sure there's time. Ok?"

"What if I learned to use my power like a whip?"

The dog general chuckled heartily and said, "Sesshoumaru, you learn to do that, and I don't care if there is a war going on, I will make time to teach you to play kemari."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now, go to sleep. Your mother would never have approved of you being up this late."

Sesshoumaru nodded heavily and curled up between the covers.

_Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be  
Say it for me  
Say it to me  
And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me_

Sesshoumaru pushed himself in his training, night and day, for over fifteen years (years which had not greatly altered his appearance), and finally mastered the light whip. Incidentally, his master was severely injured (by whom, he refused to say… though by the angles and appearance of the wounds, it appeared to have been done by a small demon with some form of burning whip). He was covered in singed cuts, had lost his right arm, and was unable to train Sesshoumaru for a matter of months while he healed. And, to top it all off, his father had just completed a fairly easy victory and was no longer in battle. To the soldiers, it meant they could finally go home. To the servants it meant extra chores in preparation of a victory feast. But to Sesshoumaru, it meant only one thing; the perfect opportunity to play kemari with his father. He walked with as much dignity as a nervous pup with a fur limb that kept getting in the way of his feet could muster, to the doors of his father's study. He knocked quietly and waited.

"Sesshoumaru! Come in, I've got exciting news for you."

Sesshoumaru entered quietly, and walked up to his father's desk.

"Father."

"Sesshoumaru, now that the war is over, and our territory extends through what was once wolf territory, we now have access to the western shores, and can now start trade with the surrounding islands. I'm leaving in the morning to head for one of the less optimistic clans, to see if I can't win them over. But, you came here for a reason, I think. What was it?"

"I wanted to tell you that I mastered it."

"Umm… 'It'?" The general said, clearly lost.

"The energy whip."

"Oh, well done. Anything else?" His praise had been so careless it felt emptier to Sesshoumaru than the years of silence had.

"No sir."

"Ok then. If you'll excuse me, I have a great deal of planning to do."

"Yes, father." Sesshoumaru turned and walked away, feeling terrible. It's not that he expected his father to praise him, but he might have at least seemed interested when he told him he had successfully mastered the energy whip. His father was not proud, and he had forgotten his promise.

The next morning Sesshoumaru stood in the courtyard, fur wrapped around him to keep him warm, and was saying goodbye to his father. The Inu no taisho was sitting atop a two headed dragon, looking down on Sesshoumaru, smiling. Sesshoumaru offered him several empty blessings, before saying goodbye and watching his father disappear beyond the horizon. Sesshoumaru stared after him wistfully and followed his instructor back inside the castle. He couldn't focus on his lessons that evening. All he could think of was-

"Sesshoumaru? Hey, Sesshoumaru! If you think I'm gonna go easy on you just because your in some freaky trance you've got another thing comin'!"

Sesshoumaru slapped Inu Yasha's hand out of his face.

"Stop your barking." Sesshoumaru rose, and saw the source of the strange music he had heard. It was a rectangular object dangling from a handle in the young miko's hand.

"What is that?"

"This?" Kagome asked, startled. Sesshoumaru simply stared at her. "It's a stereo. It plays music.

"I see." Sesshoumaru turned and sped away in the form of a ball of light. Just as he was leaving he heard the chorus playing again in the song, and suddenly his flashback made more sense.

_Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be  
Say it for me  
Say it to me  
And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me_

Sesshoumaru's final thought as he left was "He never did say it."

…End Story…

I was listening to this song today and when I heard the lines

"Say it for me

Say it to me

And I'll leave this life behind me"

I thought of the relationship between Sesshoumaru and his father, because the only frivolous battles I've ever seen him fight were out of frustration or a lack of understanding for his father, and it leads me to believe that he not only respected his father but also sought his approval. Couple that with my theory that he was neglected as a child and there you go. Also, I have caught up with my homework, but I failed to notice that it is in fact, spring break this coming week. So I will be out of town and doing projects/papers for most of my classes, and when I'm not doing homework I'll be visiting with my dad. So, I don't think I'll have the next chapter up this weekend after all. Sorry about that. I'll try and get it up soon.

I didn't use the whole song, but to the best of my knowledge the lines I used are in the proper order.


End file.
